Synopsis for "Back Again"

Hal Jordan heads to Oa in order to stop a rogue Guardian of the Universe known as the Old Timer who is ripping towns and cities from the the surfaces of planets across the universe, and implanting them onto the ruins of Oa. Just outside of the planet's atmosphere, the Guardian notices Hal, and he bounces right off of it.
Hal wakes from a sleep on the couch in the home of Rose Hardin, who used to live in the town of Hope Springs until it was taken to Oa. Rose blames Hal for their being taken there, but she gets few words out before Hal notices a commotion outside.
In the front yard, a man with a pitchfork threatens a small group of Xudarians, blaming them for the incident. Unfortunately, the aliens can't speak English, but Hal's ring allows him to introduce himself as a friend of the late Tomar-Re, and asks them how they got there. The Xudarians reveal that they walked straight from their home city, which had been transplanted nearby. They explain that the Old Timer had wanted to keep all of his memories near him - including their city. Hal promises to return the humans and the Xudarians to their home planets, and they reconcile, attempting to work together.
Hal makes contact with Green Lantern John Stewart, but John is losing his grip on sanity due to the mind-union he is sharing with the Guardian, who is already insane. Hal attempts to communicate with some nearby lifeforms, but they are violent and unresponsive. He does his best to avoid them, but their attacks are yellow, and they penetrate his shielding. The Guardian reveals that the lifeforms are protecting him, because they know their survival depends on the continued existence of the Guardian. He offers to make Hal happy by sending him back to Rose Hardin, where he can live out his fantasy.
Hal wakes up in a similar circumstance to before, on the couch of Rose Hardin. However, this time, all seems well. Despite the illusion, Rose's son Toby seems to be aware of it. That night, while looking at the stars with Rose, Hal's Green Lantern Ring activates, and he realizes that he's living a lie. He acts as though nothing is wrong, and as he lies in bed, he reluctantly resolves to call Green Lantern Guy Gardner for help.
He contacts Guy, saying that he knows of a way to defeat the Guardian, despite Guy's worries that the Guardians are very powerful. Guy initially resists, but eventually decides that he'll help Hal, hoping to be owed a favor later. Meanwhile, Hal tries to remain aware of the illusion by actually coming up with a real way to defeat the Guardian.